Germany plans to transfer two more IRIS-T air defense systems to Kyiv by the end of 2023, according to Ukrainian publication NV, citing German Ambassador to Ukraine Martin Eger.
The diplomat stated that there are currently three of these systems deployed in Ukrainian territory, but it is expected that their number will increase by the beginning of next year.
“Eger noted that it is planned to deploy five IRIS-T air defense systems by the end of the year,” he said.
He also added that Kyiv is expected to receive additional Patriot anti-aircraft missile complexes (SAM) from Berlin in the near future. However, the ambassador did not specify when exactly this will happen and how many units of equipment will be included in the new batch of installations.
In October, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that the country’s leadership had requested several foreign partners to provide additional air defense systems to the conflict zone. According to the head of state, these defense assets are intended for “rental” only during the winter period.
This information was later confirmed by Yuriy Ignat, an advisor to the command of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU). He emphasized that no one is going to simply give Ukraine their air defense systems.
Previously, Ukraine acknowledged the impossibility of forming a “wall of air defense.”
